How do indoor plants affect human health and its home?

Since ancient times, people have sought to decorate their homes with plants. He, feeling himself one with the whole of nature, carried her particle to her house. Appealed to the plants for healing. But the desire was more intuitive.

Currently, scientists have established that in addition to aesthetic properties, plants have another useful function – indoor plants improve the air composition and clean the atmosphere.

The urban environment is far from ideal. In addition to the usual dust, often the air of the premises has an increased content of chemical compounds, allocated by construction materials, furniture, exhaust gases.

So, in Germany, more than 2.5 million people work in air-conditioned premises, and every fifth person complains about the deterioration of health. One of the reasons for this is low-quality indoor air, in which more than 1000 harmful substances were detected, including 250 highly toxic and 15 carcinogenic, that is, contributing to the development of cancer.

In addition, the air environment contains conditionally pathogenic microorganisms, such as staphylococcus, microscopic mold fungi. These organisms, getting into favorable conditions on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, can cause acute respiratory and allergic diseases. According to Russian scientists, the content of colonies of microorganisms in the premises of kindergartens often exceeds the norm by 4-6 times.

And even the most advanced technical means do not always provide a healthy air environment. Plants often serve as a filter for harmful substances. Also, the volatile emissions of many indoor plants have phytoncidal properties, that is, the ability to suppress the vital activity of microorganisms.

Along with such plants, there are plants whose volatile emissions have a curative effect on the human body.

So, myrtle common – a medicinal plant, a very popular source of phytoncids today. In the room where the myrtle grows, not only the total number of microorganisms in the air decreases, but a person’s immunity to acute respiratory diseases increases.

The well-known coffee tree has a phytoncidal and therapeutic effect. The five-year-old Arabian coffee tree reduces the number of microorganisms in the air of the living room by 30%. In addition, the volatile biologically active substances of this plant have a beneficial effect on the heart activity, and the flesh of the fruits strengthens the heart muscle.

Lemon and other citrus fruits improve mental performance, increase the amplitude of brain biocurrents. The lemon essential oil, even at a very low concentration in the air, quickly reduces high blood pressure. The smell of lemon leaves gives a feeling of vivacity, contributes to the improvement of the general condition. This makes citrus fruits desirable inhabitants even in those apartments where it is almost impossible to get a crop. This plant is useful for people of mental work. In addition to the famous citrus fruits – lemon, orange, grapefruit, mandarin – many lovers now began to grow such rare ones as kinkan, murraya, citron, calamandine, pomeranian .

Everyone knows the fragrant geranium has a calming effect, it is recommended to grow in room conditions with diseases of the nervous system, insomnia.

Use in the interiors of hibiscus (Chinese rose), cissus, creeping ficus significantly reduces the activity of pathogenic bacteria.

Plants are always sensitive to the slightest change in the state of the environment, because they are driven by a natural struggle for survival. Indoor plants, especially those living in our house for a long time, adapt, adapt to the impact of synthetic materials, reinforced concrete walls, household appliances and electronics. Plants change themselves and adapt themselves to their environment, as they change and ennoble the situation in which they find themselves. They help to adapt to the environment, and to people living next to them and taking care of them.

In order to maximize the effect of air purification from indoor plants, they need to ensure optimum living conditions, including the lighting, temperature, humidity, and soil composition. In addition, caring for plants suggests at the right time to feed them and transplant. It is especially important to regularly flush dust from plants. This simple procedure increases the efficiency of the use of plants. As a result, the air in the room will on average be 40% cleaner than where there are no plants.

Let’s not forget about our “home healers”, because they care about us unselfishly.